Sep 29, 2015

Review:No one packs an emotional gut-punch quite like my girl Jen Armentrout. Readers met Steph back in the beginning of the series, and I'll admit that I was a bit surprised myself when I saw she was getting her own book, but guys, I am fully #TeamSteph now.The connection between Steph and Nick is undeniable. Armentrout can write sizzling chemistry between a tomato and a cucumber, but this book felt extra hot and touching to me. Maybe because both characters were so much alike and my heart was rooting for them the whole time.I'm sucker for happily ever after, what can I say?Fans of the Wait For You series will love this book and the chance to catch up with past characters. If you're new to the series, start here with Steph. I promise you'll be hooked immediately.

Praise for FOREVER WITH YOU:

“Armentrout packs a powerful emotional punch in her fifth Wait for You new adult contemporary (after Fall with Me)... Armentrout tugs at the heartstrings while delivering an intense, gripping tale.” –Publishers Weekly

“Armentrout presents an emotional installment in her Wait for You series…[she] does it again, presenting a fast-paced tearjerker that fans will devour.” -Booklist

FOREVER WITH YOU Synopsis:

In the irresistibly sexy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, two free spirits find their lives changed by a one-night stand…

Some things you just believe in, even if you've never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It's out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she's got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph's eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away.

Nick's self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he's knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she's building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can't walk away. Not when she's the only one who's ever made him wish for forever . . .

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Sep 22, 2015

Hey y'all! I am so excited to have Emma Mills, author of the new YA contemporary FIRST & THEN here to talk about our favorite book couples!

EMMA: Top 5 Hottest Couples in Fiction

1) Elizabeth and Darcy – Pride and Prejudice, Jane AustenI mean, for the nineteenth century, this was pretty darn hot. You can practically feel the sparks fly when they’re at odds!2) Claire and Jamie, Outlander by Diana GabaldonA passionate and intense romance, but definitely not for the faint of heart!3) Amy and Richard – The Pink Carnation, Lauren Willig A super cute couple—when they finally get their act together! I love couples who

1) Emma and Brendan--Spellbound by Cara Lynn ShultzOf course I'm kicking it off with my #1 book couple ever. 2) Daemon and Katy--The Lux Series by Jennifer L. ArmentroutThese two are the perfect blend of sugar, spice, sarcasm, and sexy. 3) Jay and Violet--The Body Finder series by Kimberly DertingJ&V are my hands down favorite YA couple. They're amazing.4) Emmy and Oliver--Emmy & Oliver by Robin BenwayThese two just .... Sigh. They make my heart sing.5) Drew and Constance--A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne GistMost of you have probably never heard of these two, but this book is one of my all-time favorite because of their romance.

Giveaway:

Leave a comment below with your favorite book couple & email address to win a finished copy of FIRST & THEN!

The
first in a new series from the “wicked-hot”* author ofHard TimeandGive It Allexplores
the fantasies of a daring married couple—and those of a stranger invited to
play along in their scandalous little games… When
he’s working, Mike Heyer is all business—every inch the alpha male, with the
hard, capable body to back up his persona. But at home he can be a different
man entirely, harboring appetites only his wife gets to glimpse…

When Samira first learned of her husband’s
fantasies, she was reluctant, even alarmed. But after witnessing the way they
set him on fire, she yielded, and happily indulged. As their games have
intensified, so has the rush. And now so has the risk—they’re poised to take
Mike’s indecent desires to the next level, by opening their bed to a sexy,
brazen stranger. A man seeming custom-made to grant every last one of Mike and
Samira’s sinful wishes.

Welcoming someone new into their lives was always
a dangerous proposition, but the couple imagined if anything was at stake, it
was their privacy…not their hearts.

Review:

You know when you have that
one book friend whose opinions are eerily similar to your own so when they say,
"READ THIS" you do if for no other reason than you trust their
judgement? That's what happened with CROSSTOWN CRUSH. Jessica, the publicist
whose judgement I trust implicitly, sent me an email and said I should read
this.

I immediately grabbed it as my next book and what
followed was one of the strangest, hottest, weirdest books that still has me
all twisted up and turned around.

I get kink. I get fetish. I know that some people
fall on the blander than vanilla side of the sex spectrum while others are off
the charts the other way. As long as the adults are being safe, rational, and
all consenting ... It's your life. Cuckolding was not a kink I had really seen
before in a book. I've never given it much thought, but I tried to keep an open
mind reading this.

Samira and Mike have been playing this game for
awhile now where she pretends to cheat on him (the first paragraph is her walking
into Sephora and splashing on some men's cologne to give her husband the
impression she was with another guy). She comes home, an argument ensues that
by now is more of a well choreographed dance between them. It ultimately ends
with Sam telling Mike he isn't man enough to satisfy her and him proving he is.
Cue hot sex and adorable post-coital pillow talk. For reasons that are made
clear early on, Mike is always in controlled Alpha mode and this is the only
way he knows how to release his inner anxiety. I get it. It do. I understand
that on a clinical level.

When they decide to take it to the next level and
find someone for Sam to "cheat" on Mike with (Mike watches the whole
time either hiding somewhere or via video), Bern enters the picture. Yes, his name
is Bern. Yes, I hate his name, too.

Bern is a great guy and what follows is 3 people
exploring all their kinks and fantasies together. Lots of steamy, smexy times.
Some a bit stranger than others, but as a whole it worked.

But (and you knew there was a "but"
didn't you?) things inevitably start to fall apart. What I love is how strong
and rational Sam stays throughout all of this. She's wonderfully accepting and
giving, but she's no pushover. She's a great female character.

I can't exactly say where or why things fall apart
and what the outcome is. I recommend reading this book for yourself if you want
to know. But if you're not familiar with this kink (or the world of kink and
fetish - even in books, if not real life), make sure you go into it with an
open mind. No, these people are not crazy. No, they are not brainwashed. Yes,
this does happen in real life. If you're not comfortable with kink, that's
totally OK. But I wouldn't recommend grabbing this book.

Sep 18, 2015

Dear Wendy,While most people are writing about their eternal love for Kai and why they adore him and the series so, I wanted to take a second to say why I adore you, Wendy Higgins.Your book career started when I had barely been blogging for a year. I remember the first time I ever noticed SWEET EVIL. It was during a Waiting on Wednesday post that I tumbled across this book. The cover is what grabbed my attention first - that blood red dress and creepy vibe. I loved it. It gave me the best shivers. So I did what any responsible book blogger would do - I added it to my TBR and followed you on Goodreads.But then ... you followed me back. I was somewhat new to this world and the idea of an author following me was thrilling. We interacted a few times and I remember thinking, "This is a cool lady. I like her."But, oddly enough, I never actually read SWEET EVIL. I purchased it. I intended to read it. But something kept dragging my attention away. A year later when SWEET PERIL came out, I planned to binge read both books to catch up. I bought book 2, but ... Well, it never happened.But that's all right! Because by now I had met you and knew how awesome you were. You were always full of smiles and light. When SWEET RECKONING came out, I had it pre-ordered. No, I still hadn't read the series, but I intended to.Then you posted about SWEET TEMPTATION and needed a beta reader who hadn't read any of the SWEET books to weigh in, and I jumped all over that. It was like fate. During the time I was reading SWEET TEMPTATION, I fell in love with your writing. But I realized I had already fallen in love with Wendy, the person. (Not like in love in love. But like, friend love ... You know what I mean!) At every event, with every hug and acknowledgement, with every single time I watched you interact with one of your numerous fans, I was able to see the woman behind the pages and that has been the best part of knowing you.Yes, Wendy Higgins is a fantastic writer with a gift for words and characters. But the heart and soul of the person creating the book magic is the person I'm so proud to call my friend. Love,

ABOUT SWEET TEMPTATION:

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it.

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, I taught high school English until becoming a mommy. I've always had a heart for teens, and writing YA stories gives me the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal years before adulthood.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the
world.I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The
only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next
door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all
black--black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that
covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare
right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can
predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with
Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Review:

I
finished reading EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING months ago and I’m still having a hard
time figuring out exactly how I feel about this book. Nicola Yoon managed to
intrigue, confound, and amuse me in one fell swoop, and even know, I’m trying
to puzzle my thoughts into a review that makes any sort of sense.

Let’s
talk about what worked: Madeline is a character you can’t help but love. With
the odds severely stacked against her, you have to love how she still keeps her
sense of humor and wonder of the world around her despite the entire world
seemingly trying to kill her via an allergic reaction.

Madeline’s
journey of self-discovery and refusing to let the terms of her illness dictate
her life is what I found so inspiring. She was never ready to give up and
always looked for hope. She didn’t let her illness define her as a person.

That
being said, there a few instances where all reason is completely thrown out the
window and it made me roll my eyes a bit. Those bizarre instances aside,
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING is a book that will inspire and plant hope in your heart.
I expect great things from Nicola Yoon in the future.

Sep 16, 2015

Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

And don’t miss the first books in the LUX Series!

LUX: Beginnings

LUX: Consequences

OPPOSITION

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Sep 14, 2015

When Kasie sent me a message to ask if I would help with the cover reveal for her newest contemporary YA novel with Scholastic, I jumped all over it because it's Kasie. I love her, I love her books, I love it all. So I am so excited to share with you not only the cover, but also some bonus content from The Fill-In Boyfriend and a giveaway!You ready for this?Let's do it, Kasie:

Hello!! Kasie West here! Thank you
Hannah for hosting me today and thank you readers for wanting to see my cover!
You’ve probably already scrolled down to look at it, but hopefully you’ll come
back up here and read this too because I’d love to tell you about what else
you’ll find in this blog post.

The cover (of course)

A summary of the book

An extended scene from THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND (not
found in the book!)

A raffle! You can win an ARC of PS I LIKE YOU (I
don’t have ARCs yet, but as soon as I do, I will award this prize)

And remember to visit all the blogs participating in
the cover reveal today because each blog has a different number 3! And if
you leave a comment on each blog that counts as another entry for the ARC.

And here she
is……..the cover!

Summary:

Signed, sealed, delivered . . .

While zoning out in Chemistry class, Lily scribbles
some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that
someone has continued the lyrics on the desk, and added a message to her.

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging
full-on letters— sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each
other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only who is
he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery, and juggle school, friends,
crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t
always be spelled out . . .

Kasie West brings irresistible wit, warmth, and
sparkle to this swoon-worthy story of love showing up when you least expect
it.

I hope you’re as excited to read
this book, as I am to publish it. I can’t give you any more of PS I LIKE YOU
right now, but I’d love to share an extended scene from a previous book.

The Fill-In Boyfriend

Parking lot prom scene—Hayden’s POV

“For someone who claims not to care
about prom, you sure are taking forever to get ready.” I leaned against Bec’s
doorframe. It had been a long time since I’d seen my sister in minimal make up.
She looked younger, softer.

“Shut
up.” Okay maybe not softer.

I
knew it wasn’t prom she was worried about. “Does Nate know you like him?”

She
nodded toward my shirt. “Does the world know you think Colin Baker was the best
Doctor?”

“Funny.”

She laughed. “I
should also tweet that you’re happy there’s only one season of Firefly.”

“Now you’re just
being vindictive.”

She threw a hair
tie at me. “Go away.”

“Just hurry, okay?
I can’t be your taxi all night. I have school stuff to do.” I’d promised
Meredith we could practice the scene we would be performing on Monday in class
and considering I’d put it off for two weeks, I needed to do it.

“Fine. Get out.
I’ll be ready when you leave.”

‘Ready when you leave’ apparently
meant another thirty minutes. By the time we were in the car, her date picked
up, and on the way to the school gym, I was twenty minutes late to Meredith’s.
She’d already texted me twice. I felt the phone in my pocket buzz again.

The
parking lot was full of cars but no people. Bec was more than fashionably
late. I turned into a parking spot, my headlights
sweeping over a form in front of me. I was wrong. There were people in the lot.
A couple hugging.

“Out.”
I didn’t need to watch a show and I was already late.

“You
know you love me,” Bec said. “I’ll text you when I’m done.”

“Have
fun.”

Bec
got out first and as Nate slid toward her open door I said, “Treat her right.”

“Yes,
sir,” he said before shutting the door.

I
grabbed my phone and shot off a text to Meredith then reached to shift the car
into gear, checking to make sure the couple hadn’t moved into my path. That’s
when I saw the guy push the girl away from him. He was a big guy and the action
made me freeze, worried she might be in trouble. I turned off the lights and
engine of my car, pretending to park and grabbed a book off the passenger seat.

Muffled
screaming between the two had me weighing my options. I couldn’t beat the guy
up, he was Captain America size. I’d been known to talk down a hot head or two.
I could call the cops. Just as I thought I’d have to make a decision sooner than
later, he walked away, got in his car, and drove off. I could’ve probably
beaten him up if I’d needed to.

The
girl leaned against a truck, putting a hand to her forehead. That jerk left her
with no way home, I realized. She looked miserable. Alone…no…lonely. Her head
snapped up and met my stare. She stood straight, throwing her shoulders back,
her face becoming a mask. I dropped my eyes to the book I held. Hopefully she’d
go inside now, find some friends or something, and I could leave.

A
shadow passed across the side of my car, in front of the lights shining from
the gym, then there was a tap on my window. She stood there, staring at me, her
look almost as hard as my sister’s. It was probably time to drive away. Against
my better judgment, I rolled down the window.

“Hi,”
she said.

“Hey.”

“Do
you go here?”

“What?”

Do
you go to school here?”

“No.
We just moved here, but I’m finishing out the year at my old school.”

“You’re
here dropping off your brother?”

She
thought Nate was my brother? Did she know Nate? I was so confused at why we
were still talking. “Sister.”

“Perfect.”

I
raised my eyebrows. What did she need?

“You
get to be my date.”

I
had not seen that coming. “Uh…”

“Do
you live close? Because you can’t go in there in jeans and a T-shirt.
Especially one with a telephone booth on it.”

Bec
would crucify her if she heard that. “A telephone booth? Seriously?”

“Do
you at least have some dark pants and a button-down shirt? Maybe a tie? A teal
tie would be awesome to match me but I’m not holding my breath about that.” She
tilted her head assessing me. Did she honestly think I was going to be her
date? “And do you happen to own contacts and some hair product?”

“I’m
just going to roll up my window now.”

“No.
Please.” She put her hand on top of the window, preventing me from closing it.
Her guard came down again. The confident air dissolved into desperation,
sadness. Her brown eyes pleaded with me. I was weakening. It was obvious this
girl didn’t need a savior. She seemed the type that got her way often enough. Hold strong.

“My
boyfriend just broke up with me. I’m sure you saw. And I really don’t want to
walk into my senior prom alone. Plus my friends didn’t think he existed. Long
story, but I need you to be him. Two hours. That’s all I’m asking for. Besides,
you’re just sitting here anyway waiting for you sister. It will be way more fun
than sitting in a parking lot.”

It
took a minute to detangle her words, figure out what she was asking. Then it
hit me. “You want me to pretend to be Captain America?”

“They’ve
never met him, so they have no idea what he looks like. Besides you’re…”

She
paused and I wondered how she was going to finish that. If she watched better
shows she might have some references.

“I
can pay you,” she spit out instead.

I
raised my eyebrows. “I’m sure there are services for that. Maybe you can try
calling 1-800-HOOKERS or something?”

She
rolled her eyes but smiled her first smile. It helped. “You know that number
well?”

The
joke caught me off guard and I laughed. She did have some spunk in there.

“Fine.
If you feel weird about taking money, I’ll owe you.”

“Owe
me what?”

“I
don’t know…If you’re ever in need of a fake date, I’ll be there for you.”

Right.
Like my friends would believe a girl like this would go out with a guy like me.
This girl was…well…she was hot. I wasn’t going to say that though. “I’m not
exactly in the habit of requiring fake dates.”

“Well,
fine. I’m glad you can get a real date whenever you want, but I can’t. Well, I
mean, I usually can, but obviously not right now in the middle of an empty
parking lot.”

Why
did she have to look so lonely? “Fine.”

“Fine?”
Her eyes widened. I wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. She seemed like she
was going to talk until I said yes.

“Yes.
I live six blocks from here. I’ll go change into something more prom worthy.” I
rolled up the window and mumbled, “I don’t believe she just talked me into this
with those brown eyes and smile.” This was the last thing she’d be able to talk
me into. Ever.

That was a long scene. If you
actually read the whole thing, you’re awesome and I love you. If you didn’t and
just really want to enter the raffle, I still love you.

In keeping with the theme of ONE and twins, I am so excited to share my blog tour date with my own blogger twin (and real-life bestie), Nicole from Paperback Princess. Make sure you stop by her blog for more chances to win your own copy of ONE and see her review!

Meanwhile, Sarah Crossan is here to talk about her book and the world of conjoined twins:

Why is the world fascinated by conjoined twins?

The world is fascinated by conjoined twins because we are astounded by the idea of living without some element of privacy. We show different parts of ourselves to different people, and physically we share our space (on a continual basis) with very few people at all, if anyone. The idea of another person with us at all times in our lives sounds suffocating and painful. We can’t imagine what it would feel like to love another person enough to want that closeness. But the amazing truth about conjoined twins is that very few would say they wanted to be separated. Most are content to be together. Happy, even. I could only find one case of conjoined twins who asked to be separated as adults, and sadly both of them died on the operating table when doctors agreed to carry out the very risky procedure.

The problem I find about the portrayal of conjoined twins in the media is that it is, without exception, sensational and demeaning. The media turn the lives of conjoined twins into a sort of a modern-day freak show, where the public are encouraged to be amazed by the very fact that these people are alive and thriving. It makes me sad that we can’t be more open about accepting people with unusual anatomies without asking ugly questions like “Wouldn’t you like to be separated?”

SYNOPSIS:

Tippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends . . . even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.

Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it’s normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. The two sixteen-year-old girls have two heads, two hearts, and each has two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.

But the girls’ body is beginning to fight against them. And soon they will have to face the impossible choice they have avoided for their entire lives.

Sarah Crossan is Irish. She graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Literature before training as an English and Drama teacher at Cambridge University and worked to promote creative writing in schools before leaving teaching to write full time.

She completed her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Warwick in 2003 and in 2010 received an Edward Albee Fellowship for writing.She spent several years living and teaching high school in New Jersey before moving to London.